The Fifth Marauder
by Raven Woods 2003
Summary: Ava has just started Hogwarts, and she's so grateful to have made four awesome friends - James, Sirius, Remus and Peter. Had to restart this story, but some of you will remember it. Will go from the Marauder's first year to Harry's final. PLEASE read A/N and don't forget to Read and Review!
1. Chapter 1 - Hogwarts

**Disclaimer: Most of the Characters are not mine, and the Harry Potter world itself definitely isn't. If it was, I would not be posting here, I would be writing a Marauders book and publishing it (Hint Hint JK!)**

 **A/N: I've been wanting to write a Fifth Marauder story for AAAAAGES now, and I've finally plucked up the courage to. Before now, I was worried I would do a bad job with it, but ah well. My main inspiration to write this story was Aquarius23 's story 'The Fifth Marauder'. Don't worry, this is not plagiarism, but I figured that, because I have many theories that are like theirs, some may think that I'm copying. I promise I'm not! 3 Reviews are really appreciated! I love hearing about what you guys think of my writing, especially when you leave me Constructive Criticism. I will name each chapter, and every time a new year comes around I'll write that too. Hope you like Chapter one!**

 **[This was an old story and has now been updated and improved.]**

 **Update A/N: Yeah, I know it's been ages and I should have re-uploaded these ages ago. I've finally finished editing this one and it is now back up for your reading pleasure (And hopefully it will be staying up!)**

 _ **Marauders Era – First Year**_

 _ **Hogwarts**_

Ava wasn't what most people would call socially adequate. She wasn't much of a people person at all, really, and she tended to keep to herself. She was different from the other kids, and not just because of her magic. Her mother had never hidden the fact that she was a witch, constantly using household spells to neaten the place up a bit. No, the issue was that when other eleven year olds wanted to go out in the sun and play, she would much rather stay inside with a good book.

"Ava!" The girl sat up in her bed as her mother's call rang through the house.

"It's here! Your letter's here!" Ava couldn't contain her excitement as she leapt from her covers, dashing out of her bedroom in her blue nightie. Michael, her younger brother, met her in the hallway, his blonde hair sticking up at odd angles. The pair of them raced down the stairs, where their parents were waiting. In their mother's hand was a letter, the Hogwarts crest gleaming on the seal. Ava practically snatched it out of her hands – normally she would never imagine being so rude, but everyone understood her excitement. Michael watched, slightly jealous, as his sister tore the letter open and read through it.

"I'm going to Hogwarts!" She cheered, pulling him into a hug. He tried to act happy for her.

"Don't worry, Michael dear," their mum ruffled his hair even more, "You'll be joining her soon." Ava nodded, grinning, before racing back upstairs to get ready.

Diagon Alley was simply wonderful. It wasn't like Ava hadn't been there before, but it seemed so much better now that she was here to buy her school supplies. Michael was tagging along, and she felt bad for him. Having to watch your sister get everything you wanted must be hard. She tried her best to shove her guilt to the side as they bought all her supplies, and before she knew it they were sat in Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour. She looked happily at her chocolate sundae, her usual order from the place. "Ava, we were wondering if we could make one more stop before we go home?" Her mother said, scooping some of the dessert into her mouth. Ava grinned.

"Quality Quidditch supplies?" She asked hopefully. She knew what the answer was already – the school didn't allow personal brooms until second year.

"I was thinking more along the lines of Magical Menagerie." Her mother said with a smile.

"You're getting me a pet!" Ava squealed, making her family jump. Her parents laughed and nodded.

"Yes, we are. We figured it would be nice for you to have a friend when you attend school. I mean, Ava sweetie, we know how much you struggle making friends and we just want you to have a bit of home. And of course, we may get an owl so that we can write back and forth," she turned to Michael, "You can care for it, if you wish, and take it to Hogwarts when you go in a couple years?"

The owl had cheered Michael up, and when they were stood in Magical Menagerie choosing their pets, he had totally forgotten the jealousy he had been feeling for the previous five hours. "I want a cat, for sure!" Ava had said on the way in. She was now happily playing with a cream kitten in the corner.

"I'm going to call you Mimp."

"Mimp? What kind of name is that?!" Her dad teased, as he petted the cat from behind her. She stuck her tongue out at him before sighing.

"I think it's cute." She turned to her brother, "What do you think of Mimp?" He grinned back at her and held up the owl that was currently perched on his arm.

"And this is Owlfonso." Ava cocked an eyebrow, and he did the same. They shrugged simultaneously and the three of them made their way to their mother.

The morning of the first of September was, in a word, chaos. Ava was hurrying around, fretting she'd forgotten something, and Michael was moaning that it was unfair Ava could take the owl. "Well she'll be writing home to tell us what house she gets in, who she befriends..." eventually the family piled onto platform nine. "Just avoid the funny looks the Muggles give you." Ava's mother soothed as they neared the gate. She nodded and turned to her dad, who couldn't go onto the platform, being a Muggle.

"I hope you have an amazing year, honey. And remember to play tons of pranks-" At this he received a swat to the back of the head, and the family laughed, "And most importantly, remember that we love you." He kissed her forehead, and the three of them ran onto Platform 9¾.

The gleaming red train was already waiting when they got to the platform, and Ava stared up at it in awe. She hugged her mum and brother before waving them off and heading to the train with her trolley. She grabbed her trunk, the owl cage and the cat carrier before dragging them to the train's door, her trolley disappearing into thin air. She blinked in shock before struggling to lift the heavy trunk onto the carriage. "Here, allow me." said a voice from behind her. She turned to see a boy with sandy brown hair, and dark green eyes staring into her own blue ones. _  
_

"Thank you!" she smiled, "I never have been very strong and I'm all on my own, so-" she looked up at his slight smirk and raised eyebrow and groaned.

"Sorry. I tend to rabbit on a bit when I meet new people." She said, sighing. The boy laughed.

"It's alright, it's nice having someone to talk to. My village is pretty small, there aren't many kids my age." He moved his hair from his eyes and heaved the trunk onto the train, "I'm Remus Lupin. Are you a first year too?"

Ava nodded enthusiastically, dropping her end of the trunk. "Ava" she held out her hand, and he looked at her sceptically before shaking it, smiling. _Odd,_ she thought to herself. Remus pulled his own trunk from the platform before they made their way through the carriages, Remus pulling both of their trunks behind him. Ava was holding the animals. They came to a compartment where two boys sat. One had wild brown hair to his shoulders, the other with messy black hair and square glasses.

"May we join you?" She smiled, having opened the door.

The boy looked up and saw Remus and Ava. The boy with longer hair nodded, a cheeky grin growing on his features. He looked rather familiar. _Probably saw him in Diagon Alley, or something._ She held out her hand once she had sat across from him. "I'm Ava." The boy took her hand.

"Sirius" He shook it, before snatching his hand back. _Were all wizards this impolite?_ Remus sat beside her and they looked at eachother, shrugging.

"I'm James Potter!" The other boy said, nudging his glasses up his nose.

Suddenly there was a clatter in the isle, and the door opened to reveal a plump woman with a sweet trolley. "Would you kids like any sweets?" Remus immediately shook his head, as did Ava, but James nodded.

"We'll take as much as this can get." He grinned, handing her a small bag of coins. The woman counted them before handing them a bag of treats. James tore the bag open and dug in, pulling out a chocolate frog. He held the bag out for Ava, and she took out a pumpkin pasty. He then held it out to Remus.

"Take one." He encouraged, and after a second the quiet boy reached in and pulled out a sugar quill. He smiled, before chewing it heartily.

"Thanks." He said, "I don't get very many sweets at home." He glanced away, but Sirius laughed. You could tell by the look on Remus' face that he thought Sirius was laughing _at_ him, but his expression changed when Sirius spoke;

"Same here – My mum never let's me have sweets because 'disappointments shouldn't have treats'"

"Why are you a disappointment?" Ava asked curiously, diving in the bag and pulling out a second pasty. Sirius sighed.

"I may as well tell you. I'm Sirius Black," He winced as his two acquaintances gasped, "I'm not like them. I'm not evil like them. I want to be a Gryffindor, for starters." Ava realised where she had seen him; In the papers, with his family, the family that housed some of the most evil wizards of all time.

"Don't worry Sirius," Ava smiled, "But your family are going to hate me. I'm Half-Blood." Sirius grinned, and Remus said,

"As am I" Remus and Ava smiled at eachother – They had something in common.

"Well that's great! My first two friends will be disliked by family. Seems like we all have something in common already!" The four laughed as the train set off.

"So then he and Evans leave, both pretty annoyed. I doubt they'll get on with us very well." Sirius laughed. He and James had been explaining to Ava and Remus what had happened with a boy named Snivellous and a girl named Lily. James was about to say something when the compartment door was pulled open. "H-Hey, can I sit with you? No-Nobody else will let me." They all looked up at a short, plump boy who appeared to be on the brink of tears.

"Of course!" Ava said, not giving the boys a chance to answer, "I'd never let anyone go without somewhere to sit." The other's didn't seem to have a problem with it, moving to give him a seat.

"Thanks." He smiled as James handed him a bar of chocolate.

"No problem. And don't worry about those people who wouldn't let you sit with them. They aren't worth it."

"Yeah, don't make it your problem. Their loss." Sirius shrugged, popping a sweet into his mouth. Remus nodded his agreement, not looking up from the book that he'd taken to reading.

Time passed by swiftly, Peter fitting in rather well as they began to get to know one another. "So, what house does everyone want to be in? For me, it's anything but Slytherin." Ava said.

"Gryffindor." Sirius and James spoke at the same time, and they looked at eachother. A smile played at James' lips.

"You want to be a Gryffindor? Wouldn't your mother be mad?" Sirius grinned at the boy's comment, a gleam in his eye.

"Exactly. Anything that will make that old cow's blood boil, I'm on it. Besides, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff don't suit me and if I'm put in Slytherin I may just throw myself off the astronomy tower." The pair laughed, and Ava smiled. She had been worried that she would have no friends at this school, but hopefully she'd already made four.

By the time Hogwarts came into view out of the windows, James, Peter and Sirius were talking about quidditch teams while Remus and Ava chatted about books. They barely even noticed as the train began to slow. "We're here!" Peter smiled, pointing to the castle through the window. They all turned to look in awe, before hurrying with the rest of the students to get to Hogsmead Station. "James Potter!" The five of them turned as a gruff voice called James' name. A huge man with a great bushy beard was grinning down at the boy.

"Hagrid!" he cheered, and hugged the man. He held him at shoulders length.

"How are ye mam and dad?" he chuckled. James shrugged and laughed.

"They're alright. Hagrid, I want you to meet my mates, this is Peter, Remus, Ava and-"

"Sirius Black." Hagrid cut the boy off, and Sirius was looking anxiously to the floor.

"Well, if yer' friends with James Potter I s'pose ye can't be tha' bad, eh? Me dad a'ways taugh' me to never judge no one, so I won'. I'll be 'specting great things from ye." Sirius looked up in surprise as the man spoke, and his face turned to a grin.

"See, Sirius? I told you. Not everyone will think you're like them." Ava encouragingly squeezed his shoulder, but she jumped as Hagrid yelled,

"FIRS' YEARS THIS WAY! FIRS' YEARS! COME ON, YOU LOT!"

The five friends looked on queasily as they sailed across the Black Lake. The castle loomed overhead as they docked in a small cove beneath the school. A woman with half-moon glasses and a tight grey bun was waiting as they went into the Entrance Hall. She stood at the top of a grand staircase, and Ava watched her as she explained the Sorting.

"You will enter the Great Hall in pairs, and wait at the front until your name is called. The Sorting Hat will call your names out in Alphabetical Order. Once you are sorted, you go and sit with your house until the end of the feast, when Prefects will take you up to the common rooms. Your trunks will be waiting for you in your dorms, so I suggest you don't dawdle if you want the best bed. Your timetables will be on top of your trunks, though they will be the same for most of you, as in all classes there will be two houses being taught at the same time." her lips curled into a tight smile, and she waved her arms, signalling for them to line up. Ava stood next to Sirius, James nest to Remus and Peter behind with a girl they didn't know. Clapping was heard, and McGonagall began towards huge double doors.

Being at the front, Ava felt self-conscious as they filed into the Great Hall. It was silent, and all of the older student's eyes were on them. Ava stood at the front, her eyes trained on the floor. "Don't look so nervous. You'll be fine." Sirius grinned, nudging her.

"You aren't worried at all?" She whispered, as the first name was called.

"Of course I am. I don't want to be pleasing my mother, do I?" He sighed and Ava patted his shoulder.

"Sirius Black!" His head snapped round and his face visibly paled. He walked to the front, breathing heavily, and sat on the stool. He seemed to be there four hours. After about three minutes the hat called out it's decision. "GRYFFINDOR!" Gasps filled the hall, but Ava, James, Remus and Peter cheered. They had met mere hours ago but it felt like they had been friends for years. Sirius was grinning from ear to ear as he ran to the Gryffindor table, and he sent a thumbs-up in Ava, James, Peter and Remus' direction.

It didn't take long for Ava's name to be called – Her last name was Carver, and she was only two behind Amelia. "Ava Carver!" She closed her eyes, exhaling. Sirius clapped her shoulder as she made her way to the front, trying to keep her head held high. She sat down on the stool at the front and tried her best to ignore the thousands of eyes staring at her. She felt the hat be placed on her head, and it immediately began speaking to her.

" _Ava Carver. A Half-Blood._

'That's me'

 _Cheerful, very Hufflepuff._

'I want Gryffindor'

 _You seem sure._

'I want to be where my friends are.'

 _Ah… Have any of them been sorted yet?_

'Yes. Sirius has. He was worried he'd be put in Slytherin like his family. But I know that they'll go there. I have faith in them'

 _Hmm…._

'aren't you going to put me somewhere? People are looking at me strange'

 _Direct… I suppose I will have to put you in…"_

"GRYFFINDOR!" Ava sighed with relief, looking the Gryffindor table, where Sirius was clapping wildly. She grinned as she stood up, not even noticing the crest on her robes change to the Gryffindor emblem. She sat beside Sirius, away from the rest of the house. He high-fived her as she sat.

"Now all that we need if James, Remus and Peter to join us."

"Lily Evans!" The hat yelled out from the front of the room. Ava wasn't really paying that much attention, until after about three minutes when it called out for the third time,

"GRYFFINDOR!" Ava watched as the girl smiled to someone at the front, before she made her way over to the table. She sat with the rest of the house, rather than with the two students on the end. Sirius smiled at his friend.

"Cheer up, I think that it'll be Remus soon." Ava smiled back; She was disappointed that Lily hadn't sat near her. She could really use a female friend too. _But then,_ she thought, _I will be sharing a dorm with her._

Remus, James and Peter had been put in Gryffindor. Sirius and Ava had cheered heartily for each of them, especially James, who swaggered up to the hat confidently. It had barely touched a hair on his head when he yelled out "GRYFFINDOR!", and Ava had laughed as he smirked and sat with them.

"So, we're in the same house!" Sirius said excitedly. He was sat across from Ava, who was sat beside Peter. He was sat across from James who was next to Remus. By now, the table had connected in the middle, because two more girls had joined too. _Lily Evans, Alice Towwe and Marlene McKinnon. Interesting._

"Ava?" She woke from her daydream to see that the boys were staring at her.

"Sorry," she said, looking down at the table, "I was miles away." Sirius told her what they had been talking about Quidditch – again "And I asked if you were planning on joining the team."

"Me? Nah. I fly, but just for fun. I'm nowhere near good enough to be on a team."

"Well I'm joining!" James announced, grinning proudly, "I play chaser. Sirius?"

"Beater. I have a decent swing." He shrugged, smirking.

"Well flying isn't my thing." Remus said, sighing, "I always fall off." The five of them laughed, and Peter nodded his head.

"Same here, I'm scared of heights. I can handle them if I'm on the ground, but up in the air I always feel like I'm going to fall." He shivered, causing them to laugh even harder.

Gryffindor common room was large and rounded – it was in a tower, and the five friends had raced up to it. "It's just us four in the boys' dorm, so it'll be a battle between friends who gets the best bed." Sirius had said, as they walked up. Now, the boys looked at eachother before racing up to their room. She didn't know, for now, who had got the best bed. She didn't even know what was considered as the best bed. Rolling her eyes, she began up to her own dorm, noting that Marlene was still in the main room talking to one of the older students. _At least I won't get the worst bed._ she thought, smirking.

"Hi! I'm Alice!" She was pounced on as soon as she opened the door, the black-haired girl almost knocking her off her feet. Ava moved her blonde hair from her eyes and smiled.

"Ava Carver." She held out her hand and the girl shook it enthusiastically. _At least she didn't give me that look the boys' did._ Ava turned to the other girl, who had ginger hair framing her face and emerald green eyes.

"I'm Lily Evans." She said, leaning against the bed post. She was the one who held her hand out, and Ava shook it happily, "I'm a Mugggleborn. I know quite a few people are biased about that, so if you have problems we should probably get them out of the way."

"I'm pureblood, but I've lived in Muggle London for as long as I can remember. Mum didn't want to raise me to be prejudiced."

"I'm glad." Lily smiled. Ava watched as they began talking of life in the Muggle world.

"My sister hates me, she calls me a freak." Lily said sadly. Alice sighed, comfortingly squeezing Lily's shoulder.

"So, Ava, what's your blood status?" Lily changed the subject quickly, turning to Ava with a smile.

"Half-Blood. It's my mother with the magic." The door suddenly opened, and it seemed to be a repeat of what had happened to Ava.

"Hi! I'm Alice!" Marlene didn't take it like Ava had – instead she yelped and rushed backwards, crashing into the door that had closed behind her. She moved her dirty blonde hair from her eyes and scowled.

"That hurt!" She snapped. Alice apologised, and instead introduced herself again, holding out her hand like Ava had so many times that day.

"Marlene McKinnon"

"So, what classes do you have?" Sirius asked Ava, as they sat in the common room on the first day of classes. Ava glanced to her parchment. "History of Magic, potions, double transfiguration and defence against the dark arts. Which you know full well, seen as though we all have the same ones." Sirius grinned sheepishly as his friends laughed.

"What lesson are you most excited for?" Peter asked. he was sat cross legged across from the pair, between Remus and James.

"Flying." James said, at the same time Sirius said "Friday's flying lesson." The two looked at eachother for a moment before bursting into laughter.

"For me, I'd have to say transfiguration." Ava said, "Remus?" The boy looked up from his book, disoriented. He shrugged

"Yeah, good idea." The other laughed, much to his confusion. He didn't realise he hadn't been listening properly.

History of Magic was, as Ava discovered, the most boring lesson ever. She was sat beside James, who was asleep, his head resting on his hand. Mr Binns, the ghost teacher drifting around at the front of the classroom, droning about something or other. She felt a tap on her shoulder, and she turned to see that Peter and Sirius were grinning at her. She rolled her eyes as Sirius mimed what she should do. Looking to her left, she saw that Remus was also looking at her expectantly. She smirked, before knocking James' arm out of the way. His head landed on the desk with a thud and he yelled out, waking up and lifting his arms in a fighting stance, his glasses wonky. His four friends began laughing.

"POTTER! CARVER! BLACK! PETTIGREW! LUPIN! DETENTION AFTER SCHOOL!" Ava's face dropped, as did her friends'. She had never had a detention in her life.

"Well done, Black!" She snapped as they filed out of class ten minutes later. He laughed,

"You were the one who did it!" Sirius countered, as James sighed and rubbed is chin.

"yeah, and it bloody hurt and all!" he said, mostly to himself.

"Just because I told you doesn't mean you had to do it! It was completely your fault!"

"I wouldn't have done it if James hadn't been asleep!"

"Are you saying this is my fault?"

Remus and Peter rolled their eyes to one another. This was going to be a long seven years.


	2. Chapter 2 - First Day

**A/N It's been a while! Sorry for the lack of updates, I'm currently writing three chapters at once so it's a bit of a struggle. Plus with Christmas and everything… yeah. This chapter isn't quite as long as the last one, but I liked how it ended so I didn't add any more. Enjoy!**

 _ **Marauders Era – First Year**_

 _ **First day**_

"Potions," James said with a dark look, "With the Slytherins." Sirius groaned and a small whimper seemed to leave Peter.

"Sounds simply thrilling." Ava said sarcastically. She threw a glare at Sirius. "Let's just hope we don't get any more detentions."

"I'm sorry, alright? I still think it was your fault. Besides, at least we have it together!" Ava sighed as they descended the steps to the dungeons, a long line of students already lined by the door.

"Ava!" Lily waved the girl over, and with a frown to the boys she made her way over. A frail boy with shoulder length black hair was beside her, a slight smile on his face.

"This is Severus. He's been my friend for a while now but he was put in Slytherin. Sev, this is Ava." She introduced the two, and Severus gave a slight bow. Ava smiled brightly and turned back to Lily.

"So this is Severus. I've heard a little about you." She glanced over to Sirius and James, who were heading to the back with Peter and Remus.

"I'm sure." He said, his voice grim. Lily sighed.

"Don't let the feud between your… friends and us alter your impression of him. They may not like him, but he is a great guy." She and Snape smiled at eachother, and Ava smiled.

"Make sure Marlene doesn't take my bed after dinner, okay?" She laughed. Lily nodded, but she was frowning.

"I can't believe you got yourself a detention in your first class! I suppose it was their fault, hm?" Lily motioned to where the boys were currently messing about at the end of the line.

"I suppose it was a bit of a group effort." She said after a moment, and Lily was about to reply when a portly man with dark brown hair opened the classroom door.

"Welcome, welcome!" He said, as the class filtered into the room. Upon closer inspection, Ava noticed that the man's hair was speckled with grey, but got barely a second of thinking before she was standing with Lily and Severus at the back of the potions classroom and the professor was at the front. "I am Professor Slughorn." He said with a smile, "And in my classroom you follow this set of rules." He pointed with his wand towards a chalkboard, and written on is were bullet points listing these 'rules'. Ava began to read them, as did many other students.

"I have assigned you a seating plan, of sorts, but I'm sure that by the end of the year you'll have all snuck around to sit with your friends, yes?" He gave a slightly nervous laugh, and the class glanced at one another. Slughorn nodded and continued, explaining that there was a piece of parchment on each desk with a student's name on it. Ava found her seat almost immediately, being sat beside where she was stood right at the back of the classroom.

"Hello, partner." James whispered, grinning at her and placing his bag on the desk. Ava smiled.

"James! I'm glad Slughorn put me beside you." She nodded towards the rest of the table. Four Slytherins. James made a face and sat down, and the pair turned their attention to what Slughorn was saying.

"Do you have any idea what we're meant to be doing?" James said. Slughorn had told them to start off with 'something simple'.

"Making a cure for boils." Ava replied sarcastically, looking at her cauldron like it had disgusting green sludge in it… oh wait, it did.

"I'm hopeless at this!" Ava looked up and saw Lily fretting on the other side of the room. She had been sat beside Severus, and he seemed to be doing just fine with his. Her eyes searched for Sirius, and found that he had been put on a table with both Remus and Peter. He happened to look up, and sent her a wide smile.

'How are you doing?' She mouthed. He shrugged,

'Alright. The other two seem to be struggling.' He nodded to them, but Ava didn't get a chance to see them as there was a yell from the table beside hers.

"Dear God what have I done?!" Alice was staring wide eyed at the table, which was now oozing what looked like red paint. Lily had rushed over and placed a hand on her shoulder. Slughorn was still sat down, but looking over with a concerned expression.

"Who's God?" James whispered in Ava's ear. She sighed, turning back to her potion. Lily had rid of the paint-like substance in a wand wave.

"It's a Muggle Thing. Alice what did you put in it?" She said, looking with a frown at the ingredients on the table in front of her.

"That thing." Alice said, standing behind her and pointing at the weird white flower on the table. Ava looked at James, who stopped in his tracks. The white flower was in his hand, hovering above the pewter cauldron. He didn't say anything, but bashfully placed it back on the table. The girls suppressed a laugh, and Ava carefully added two porcupine quills to her cauldron as the instructions in the book informed her.

"Why didn't you just stick to the instructions?" Ava asked. Alice hadn't returned to her table, and was instead watching her as she stirred the potion.

"dropped a horned slug on it. It was all sticky, so I'll have to write it out from someone else's book." She looked hopefully at Ava, who nodded. Alice ran to her table and returned a few second later with ink, quill and a piece of parchment. She set to writing out the instructions as Ava continued to make her boil cure.

"Alright class!" Slughorn cheered a few moments later, "Please pour a bit of your potion into a vile over here," He pointed to the basket on his desk, "And I will inspect them after you've left." The class did as they were told and cleaned up.

"How did your potion go?" Sirius asked, waiting for James and Ava to finish tidying. He'd left it to his Slytherin desk partner.

"Alright," Ava shrugged with a smile, packing her things into her satchel, "I think I left the potion to brew too long, so I was rushing the rest of it, but I think it will be alright."

Transfiguration, Ava and the boys discovered, was taught by McGonagall, and she wasn't going to take any messing around from any of her students.

"You five!" She snapped as soon as Ava and the boys had entered the classroom, "I heard you already have a detention!" Sirius smiled triumphantly.

"That's right, Professor, and it's all Ava's fault!" He pointed to the girl with a grin, only to receive a scowl in return. McGonagall raised an eyebrow at Ava.

"It was not my fault professor, It was-" McGonagall cut her off with a dismissive hand.

"I don't want to hear it. Find your seats, please." They did as they were told, the two houses, Hufflepuff and Gryffindor, barely mixing in the seat arrangement.

"This is too bloody hard." Sirius snapped half an hour later. They had been taking notes the whole lesson, and there was still an hour and a half left. He was sat at one end of the row, with Ava beside him, Remus next to her, then Peter and James on the other end.

"I know," James groaned from the other end, "I wish we'd actually do something."

"How about doing your homework, Mr Potter?" McGonagall said from where she was sat at her desk.

"What homework?" James said, his expression confused.

"This one." With a flick of her wand, she levitated a stack of parchment, and a loud thud could be heard as Sirius dropped his head on the desk. The parchment separated and flew along each row, landing before every student. Ava skimmed over it. An essay. The second lesson of the year.

"This looks hard." Peter said, a frown on his face. James shrugged.

"I'll give you a hand. It says that we have to finish today's work and, well, I've done that."

"You have?" Remus said with a small gasp.

"Yes, I have," James said, looking slightly annoyed, "Why do you sound so surprised?"

Remus shook his head with a smirk, and Peter began to grin, "thanks James!"

Lunchtime was a quick affair, and before they knew it they were making their way towards their next class. Lily had joined them, much to James and Sirius' dismay. "Apparently," the red head began, "The position for Defence Against the Dark Arts has been cursed. Most of the teachers, if not all, only spend one year on the post. Last year, Professor Nott was fired because he was teaching the students how to _use_ Dark spells, not fight against them. Rumour has it he gave the Ministry cash to get out of Azkaban. Personally, I think it's ridiculous how the ministry-"

"How do you know so much anyways, aren't you a Muggleborn?" Sirius said loudly. Lily had left lunch with them, as they had the following lesson with Hufflepuff. Lily rolled her eyes.

"Books. I got bored and read 'A History of Magic' on the train ride here, because Sev was reading one of those Dark Arts books he loves so much. And I read 'Hogwarts: A History' during the Summer."

"You are such a know-it-all." James muttered.

"No," Remus said, "I also read them. Along with 'A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration'. Hence why it was so easy to take notes during class." Lily's face reddened a bit.

"My Sister got a hold of that one. 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them' too. I still don't know what she did with them, I presume she threw them out." Her voice went quiet, and James gaped at her.

"Why would she do that?" He asked, dumbfounded. The redhead shrugged.

"She hates me. Calls me… well, she calls me a Freak." Nobody could say anything after that, as they'd been ushered into the room by a woman with flowing black hair and bangles jingling on her wrists.

"Good afternoon, students!" She smiled brightly, opening her arms as she spoke.

"That clanging sound is going to get real old real quick." Remus muttered into Ava's ear. She stifled a giggle.

"I trust you are able to choose a partner and sit at one of the benches before you! Come now, sit. Come along!" She ushered them further into the classroom, and Ava took a seat in the centre of the room with Remus. Sirius was with James on the next table along and Peter was with Lily, more or less on the other side of the room.

"I am Professor L. Amsden. I am a half-blood; my father was a wizard and my mother a Muggle. I trust you have all read the book." Most of the room nodded – James, Sirius and Peter did not.

"Have it read by Thursday, yes, dear?" She fell to answering questions, and Ava turned to Sirius and James.

"I can't believe you guys!" She whispered. Sirius shrugged, and James whispered back,

"How were we to know we had to read the bloody book?"

"It said on the requirement list!" Remus whispered. Both boys sent he and Ava confused looks.

"It said ' _suggested to be read before term begins'."_

"As if I was paying attention to that!" James snapped.

"Now, now, it appears I've become carried away!" Professor Amsden cried, before hurrying to her desk, her purple robe flowing behind her, "I almost forgot roll-call. Sirius Black?" She announced the first name as she picked up the parchment, and Sirius shouted,

"Here, Miss!" The woman nodded, before continuing to Melanie Brown and her brother Arnold.

"Ava Carver?"

"Present, Professor." Ava said with a smile. Professor Amsden smiled back before continuing.

"Remus Lupin?" His name was announced a few minutes later, and after he replied, Professor Amsden stared at him for a second. His gaze was trained on the desk, knowing she was watching him, and Ava noticed a blush begin to creep up his neck.

"Interesting." The woman continued with a faint smile, and Ava couldn't help but wonder why Amsden had taken such an interest in the boy.

"You good?" She whispered to him, and he nodded quickly, clearly lying. Ava decided it would probably be best to leave it, and turned her attention to James and Sirius, who were now chatting away about something or another.

"I am starved!" Sirius announced almost an hour later, as they left the class. Professor Amsden seemed to have taken Remus as her favourite; She'd asked him to answer half her questions, and thought that didn't seem too strange, the way she'd asked them definitely was.

"You literally had lunch an hour ago," Peter said pointedly. He was walking a few feet away with James and Sirius, while Ava and Remus walked a few feet behind. He was staring at the floor, and he had been quiet all lesson.

"Professor Amsden seems to like you." Ava smiled, nudging his arm with her elbow. He looked up in surprise and nodded.

"Yeah, seems that way." He mumbled, looking back to the ground. Ava was about to pry further when she was practically dragged away by James. He and Sirius were pulling them along, moaning about "slowpokes". They were barely sat down before they started eating, Peter eating and laughing along with them. Ava kept glancing at Remus, who didn't appear to be eating anything, and instead looked to be deep in thought.

"You not hungry, Remus?" James said. Remus shook his head.

"Not particularily. I don't feel too well." He mumbled. James shrugged it off and continued with his meal.

 _Knock, knock._ Ava rapped her knuckles on the door, and after a moment Professor Binns opened it with a smile. "Come in, come in." He said, floating into the room, "I've placed your parchment on your desk. I want you all to write 'I will not mess around during class' twenty times. Then you are free to leave." He sat at his desk, readying what Ava presumed to be students' work he needed to mark. She sat at one of the allocated desks. James and Sirius had already grabbed the two at the back, so Ava got the one nearest to Peter. Dipping her quill in the ink, she began to write. She'd barely finished the sentence when a small piece of parchment landed on her desk.

You aren't seriously doing this are you? -Sirius

She rolled her eyes, looking up at Binns and seeing he was busy marking.

 _Of course I am, and you should be too. - A_

 _Why? It's so boring! -Sirius_

 _Didn't Binns say we couldn't leave until we'd finished? -J_

 _That's exactly what he said - A_

None of you should be passing notes. Binns could catch us – Remus

Would you all stop intercepting my notes? -Sirius

 _I've almost finished my twenty -J_

As have I – Remus

 _Really? I'm only on my third. Peter_

I haven't even bloody started yet! -Sirius

 _Then I'd suggest you do so. I've almost finished and I'm not waiting for you – A_

 _I'll wait, mate. Ava's just mean -J_

 _Will you wait for me? Peter_

Of course we will – Remus

Binns, thankfully, didn't notice their notes throughout the detention, and eventually all of them had written their lines, even Peter.

"Very good, students. I don't expect to see you back here any time soon." And with that, the five of them left for Gryffindor Tower.

Ava hadn't had much time to check out the common room as of yet; the previous night she'd gone straight up to bed and that morning they'd left for breakfast immediately. It was a circular room, being in one of the high turrets, and it was decorated in red a gold, for obvious reasons. A huge portrait hung above the fireplace, of who Ava presumed to be Godric Gryffindor himself. The mad had a bushy red beard and piercing blue eyes. In front of the fire was a sofa and two chairs. The sofa was red, and the chairs a dark yellow. "Ava, stop looking around and come sit down!" Sirius yelled. The noise in the room was already loud, so to her it seemed like he was just beside her. The boys had already claimed the sofa, wasting no time. The four, soon to be five, had piled onto it, much to the other students' dismay. It appeared the sofa was the best seat in the room.

"I think we should go exploring." James declared as Ava squeezed between him and Peter. Ava raised an eyebrow.

"James, we've already had one detention, and I'm sure exploring the castle is warrant for another one."

"Not if we don't get caught." James said with a smirk.

"And how do you plan on that? Half of the corridors in this school are banned to students, and they're patrolled all day!" Remus said. Ava smiled. He seemed to be back to his old self, at least.

"Then we'll go at night." James didn't seem to be giving up easily.

"Oh, because we won't get told off for that. We have curfew!" Ava said.

"Not to mention the teachers do patrols at night too!" Remus pointed out.

"They won't see us. I have something that you guys can't tell anyone about. Alright? I'll go and get it." He was off up the staircase to the boys' dorm, and Remus and Ava glanced anxiously at one another.

"It'll be fun!" Sirius said, with a smirk almost identical to the one James had moments before. There was a bang, and the four of them turned to see James hurrying towards them holding a box.

"This," He sat in the middle, before opening the box a little. Inside was a silvery grey cloak. Sirius and Remus made gasping sounds.

"Is that-" Sirius was apparently so shocked he couldn't form words. James nodded with a triumphant smile.

"Come on, I don't want to talk too much down here, people could see." He began up to the boys staircase, and they all followed him. "What is it?" Peter asked Ava nervously. The girl shrugged.

"No idea. I was raised mostly in the Muggle Way." Peter said that he had too, but as they neared the stairs Ava stopped.

"I can't go up there. I'm a girl."

"Sure you can!" Sirius said with a grin, "It's only the girls' staircase that has repelling charms. My cousin, Andromeda, told me all about it. She's a black sheep like me." He winked at them before grabbing Ava's wrist and pulling her up the stairs behind him.

"We've only been here a day!" Ava gasped, shocked at the state of their room. It was a complete mess, except what Ava presumed to be Remus' bed. James shrugged, before opening the box against and pulling out what looked to be a cloak. He wrapped it around himself and…

"You're invisible?!" Peter gasped, his expression matching Ava's one of awe. James nodded, grinning.

"We can't get caught if they can't see us! So how about it?"

"Not tonight," Ava said, after a moment of warring herself. _Follow the rules or bond with friends._ The answer was clear, "My cat, Mimp, is probably feeling neglected, and I promised my parents' and write home. My brother'll want his owl back." She smiled, and James nodded.

"Fair enough. Tomorrow then." They all nodded, even Remus, who still looked sceptical about the whole thing.

"See you all tomorrow morning, then." And with that, Ava left the dorm and made her way to her own.

 _Mum, Dad, Michael._

 _I am Gryffindor! I'm so pleased! Everyone seems so nice, and I've already made some new friends. There's Lily Evans and Alice Towwe, they're two of the girls in my dorm. They're Muggleborn, so they'll understand when i talk about television and such. There's Marlene McKinnon too, but she seems a bit uptight. Then there's James Potter and Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew and Sirius Black – Now I know what you're thinking, but I swear he isn't like his family. He's a Gryffindor for starters. I'm really happy, and I think Mimp is too. She's sitting on my lap while I write this, so that's why it's a bit messy. Michael, you're going to love it here. Owlfonso seems eager to get home. Sorry I didn't write sooner, but I've had classes all day, and then a detention. Please don't get mad, it wasn't really my fault. We all got one, even Remus and Peter, though they weren't really involved at all. Anyways, I might not be able to write home as much as I'd like, but I'll try for every week like we said._

 _I love you. See you at Christmas!_

 _Ava xxxxx_

With a flourish, Ava signed the letter off and tied it neatly to Owlfonso's leg with a red ribbon Lily had given her. She turned back to her and smiled. "You do have more, right?" She said. Lily grinned and nodded, so Ava sent Owlfonso off into the sunset, the letter dangling from his leg.

 **A/N for those of you who want to know, Ava writes in Segeo Print, Sirius writes in AR Blanca, Remus in Mistral, James in Bradley Hand ICT and Peter in Kristen ICT.**


	3. Chapter 3 - Rivalry

**-A/N Sorry it's been so long since I updated this story – If you want to read my bio that briefly explains why. Not really much to say. Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 _ **Marauders Era – First Year**_

 _ **Rivalry**_

Ava joined the boys in the common room almost a week later to find them complaining. "History of Magic again!" Sirius whined, looking at the piece of parchment in his hands. James groaned, as did Peter.

"Stop complaining!" Alice exclaimed, suddenly standing beside Ava and causing her to jump, "You have no clue how boring Muggle School is. History of Magic is way more exciting than Geography." Sirius, James and Peter looked at her in question. Remus and Ava laughed.

"Alice, come on. We need to get down early or the food will go cold." Lily said, making her way to them and looping an arm through the other girls'.

"yeah. See you guys afterwards." The pair of them smiled and made their way out of the common room, shortly followed by the others.

"So, what's it like in the Muggle world?" James asked as they ate.

"well, my father is the Muggle. Mum always tells him that he doesn't have to cook the Muggle way, that she'd do it with a wave of her wand, but he insists that it's better done by hand." Remus laughed as Ava spoke.

"That's the situation in my house, but with my mother and cleaning. Mum said that she always knew that magic was real, and when she met my Dad she knew instantly that there was something different about him. It wasn't until he proposed that he told her, but she didn't care." He smiled.

"Well my Dad was a lot more… shocked, when she found out. Actually left my Mum! But then she realised that he loved her, and that it didn't matter she was different. Sweet, really."

"My mother would murder me if I married a-" There was a loud squawk, and they all looked up to see owls swooping into the room.

"Post's here!" James said with a grin. The grin slipped when a black owl landed on the table in front of Sirius, a black letter that was steaming hanging from it's leg. The boy stared at it, wide-eyed.

"Oh Merlin…" James said, grimacing.

"Just open it, Sirius. You know it'll only blow up if you don't." Remus said. Sirius nodded, visibly gulping, and he reached to unseal the letter.

"SIRIUS ORION BLACK!" A woman's voice screeched. Every head in the Great Hall turned to stare, "HOW DARE YOU! DISGRACING OUR FAMILY NAME BY GETTING INTO THAT DISGUSTING HOUSE! YOU ARE A DISSAPOINTMENT TO THE BLACK NAME, YOU ARE! YOUR BROTHER LOOKED UP TO YOU, AND YOU GO AND DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS! AND BEFRIENDING BLOOD-TRAITORS! YOU UNGRATEFUL CHILD! YOU ARE LUCKY I'M NOT THROWING YOU OUT OF MY HOUSE NOW! I WILL BE DEMANDING THAT YOU ARE MOVED TO MY RESPECTABLE HOUSE, AND YOU WILL OBEY WITHOUT A FUSS, YOU HEAR?" The letter burst into flames, the ashes falling gracefully onto the table. Sirius stared on in fear. As did the rest of the Great Hall, even half of the Slytherins.

"That… was your mother?" James whispered. Sirius nodded slowly.

"What a cow." Ava frowned.

"Tell me about it." He sighed, looking down to the table. As the other students began to talk once more, Ava reached across the table and placed a hand over his.

"What she said was a load of rubbish, you know. You're not ungrateful, and you aren't a disgrace. Dumbledore wouldn't make you move to Slytherin. The hat put you in Gryffindor because it's where you belong. I'm just sorry you have to live with that." James nodded in agreement, as did Remus and Peter.

"Thanks guys.." Sirius said with a tight smile.

"Stop looking at me like that, Sirius. I'm never falling asleep in this bloody class again." James snapped quietly, "And you lot can quit smirking." Ava glanced at Remus. At least she wasn't the only one who found this hilarious.

"What are we even learning about?" She heard Peter whisper.

"Some Goblin war," Sirius said, "hey, watch this!" He pointed his wand towards the other side of the room, where the Slytherins were talking quietly. He whispered something that Ava didn't catch, and Severus' inkwell exploded.

"Ah!" He yelled out in shock, as the black ink splattered everywhere.

"What on Earth?" Binns asked, nearing the boy's desk.

"Potter blew up my inkwell!" Snape declared. James' mouth dropped open, and Sirius, Ava and Remus and Peter gasped in both shock and slight amusement.

"I didn't do anything!" James exclaimed.

"You're the only one with your wand!" Another boy (Ava thought his name was Nott?) yelled. It was true. Sirius had stashed his immediately.

"It was me, sir!" Ava said, raising her hand. The class looked at her in shock.

"No, Ava don't lie. It was I that exploded his inkwell." Remus announced. James looked at his two friends in confusion.

"It was me!" Peter now exclaimed, just slightly too excited.

"Actually, it was-" Sirius was cut off by the ghostly professor,

"I don't know who it was, but all of you can decide in McGonagall's office. Go."

James was fuming as they made way to McGonagall's office. "I hate that bloody class. And I can't believe that slimy git blamed it on me!" He yelled.

"Sorry, mate…" Sirius muttered guiltily. James shook his head.

"It wasn't you, it was Snivellous-"

"Severus," Ava corrected. She frowned, "He seemed so nice when Lily introduced us…"

"Severus? His name's Snivelly!" Sirius snorted. James smirked,

"Yeah. I'll get him back. Just bloody wait."

"Don't go too far, James." Remus said.

"The train ride was bad, but this is too far. He'll regret the day he messed with James Potter!"

"Dramatic much?" Ava smirked. Sirius shook his head.

"Nah, Snivellous deserves it, especially after what he just did." Peter frowned as the boy stopped speaking.

"Is it okay to call him that?" Peter asked nervously.

Remus sighed, "Not particularily, but I mean he did blame James when he had barely any proof… Ah! I think this is it!" They had arrived at her office, and James knocked nervously.

They had a woman call; "Enter!"

"Professor..." James greeted quietly as the five of them lined up before her desk.

"What are the five of you doing here?" She asked calmly.

"Snape's inkwell exploded and he blamed me!" James said. McGonagall rose an eyebrow.

"And are you aware of the culprit?"

"It was me." Sirius declared, stepping forwards before any of the others could reply, "I thought it would be funny to blow up a Slytherin's inkwell. I stashed my wand straight away, James was the only one who had his out, so Snape blamed him."

"So why are all of you here?"

"We all said that it was us," Ava said, "We knew it was Sirius, but we weren't about to throw him under the bus. I figured I should take a detention too. Remus and Peter played along." James looked to his friends as she spoke, amazed. They hadn't wanted him to take the blame alone. McGonagall frowned. These children had known eac hother for barely three days, and here they were putting their necks on the line for each other… Perhaps not as extreme as that. Either way, these five were clearly going to have a special friendship. The thought made her want to smile, especially with Sirius' family situation, and Remus…

"As noble as you were, you still lied. I'm disappointed in all of you. Detention from your first class at this school! There wasn't even any house points to deduct!" The woman sighed, exasperated, "Fortunately, several students managed to bring our point count from minus thirty to ten, and I don't doubt that Professor Binns will want another twenty for this incident. Now, the five of you will serve a detention with Filch, our caretaker. He'll be choosing what your punishment will be. You may leave." They all nodded and made quietly for the door.

"And students!" They turned back to McGonagall, "It would be pointless you going back to History of Magic now, you may as well head to your next class."

Defense Against the Dark Arts was held not far from McGonagall's office, and by the time the five friends got there, transition between classes had begun. "Potter what the hell were you playing at?!" They all turned to see Lily storming towards them.

Sirius rolled his eyes. _This girl was so annoying._ "Chill yourself, Evans, It was me." He said coolly. Her frown deepened.

"Well you seem rather proud of yourself, Black." She snapped. Sirius shrugged.

"Snivellous deserved it, blaming James when he had no proo-"

" _That is not his name._ " Lily's voice sounded deadly, and her eyes narrowed as she stepped towards the boy. Sirius was about to reply when Amsden burst out of the room, beckoning for them to enter. Ava sighed in relief, sure that if Sirius had said anything else Lily would have murdered him. The red head glared at Sirius as she sat down, before turning her attention to the roll call.

"Evans is a complete nutter!" James laughed as they made their way to Herbology an hour later. Ava sighed, "Sirius did insult her best friend."

"Who's side are you on?!" Sirius exclaimed.

"I'm not on anyone's bloody side! Lily is my dorm-mate, and she hasn't done a single thing wrong to me. I just hope she isn't mad at me for what happened…"

"Who gives a flobberworm if she is?"

"I do!" Ava retorted.

"I do too! Lily has been so nice to be in DADA!" Peter smiled. Both James and Sirius rolled their eyes at Ava's confident smirk.

"See, I'm not the only one who thinks Lily is nice."

"Well she seems stuck-up to me." James shrugged. Sirius agreed,

"And you'd have to be crazy to befriend a Slytherin. Especially a greasy one." James smirked as Sirius spoke. Remus shook his head and Ava sighed as they continued out of the Entrance Hall.

"She's a Muggleborn as well! She must be stupid if she doesn't realise they're all purists. They'll probably be trying to murder her by next year!" James declared.

"Don't say that!" Ava seethed, lightly hitting his arm. James rolled his eyes again. They were interrupted as Professor Sprout ushered them into the Greenhouse. "Everyone please stand behind a plant. I'll give instructions once everyone has arrived." A few Hufflepuffs arrived late, and the lesson began.

Ava sighed as Sirius mouthed something to her. "What?" She asked impatiently, removing an earmuff. They were learning about Mandrakes, and their screech was loud enough to make someone deaf.

"Are you excited for tomorrow?" He grinned.

"Oh!" Ava laughed, "I'm guessing you mean you mean our flying lesson?"

"Of course he does!" James said, leaning past Sirius.

Ava smiled, "Yes, I am excited." She nodded.

"I'm not…" Peter mumbled from across the table, biting his lip nervously.

"It'll be okay," Remus smiled, placing a hand on the smaller boy's shoulder. He smiled, but was still obviously anxious.

"I'm sure everything will go fine, Peter!" Lily said from his other side. Ava ignored James and Sirius' eye roll, and nodded.

"Exactly!" I'm sure plenty of people in here are scared of heights!"

"I know I am!" Alice leant right over the table, her arm held high in the air.

"Alice, watch it! You almost knocked over my mandrake!"

"Leave her alone, Evans!" Sirius snapped. Lily glared at him.

"Shut it, Black. You are in no position to be telling me what to do."

Sirius grumbled something along the lines of 'Stuck-up Princess'. Ava sighed. Would it be like this their whole time at Hogwarts?

"Why don't we all calm down? We've only been here three days, and we've got a whole seven years left! No use becoming enemies now." Remus said calmly. Lily sighed and nodded, a small smile playing on her lips. Sirius turned to whisper to James.

Marlene was seriously starting to get on Ava's nerves. "Wow, Sirius, that piece of magic must have been super hard!" She was saying, her eye-lashes going ten to the dozen. Remus glanced at Ava, and the pair of them smirked to one another.

"You could teach it to me?" She continued.

"Aren't you a Pureblood?" James asked, eyebrows raised. That got her flustered.

"W-Well yes I am-"

"So surely you should know a spell as simple as that?" Marlene didn't seem to have a reply, so Remus interjected.

"A very well aimed 'Bombardia'. Very impressive. If he'd been a few centimetres off he could have done serious damage-"

"You could have hurt him?!" Lily screeched, spinning where she had been walking ahead.

"He didn't!" James yelled back, as if that justified everything. Lily just screamed in frustration and began stomping towards the castle.

"You've really made an enemy out of Lily," Alice smiled, waiting for them to catch up, "She's very nice, really." Ava smirked as Sirius murmured something to himself.

"Personally, I think Evans can be rather annoying." James, Remus, Ava, Peter _and_ Alice rolled their eyes as Marlene began talking.

"The only annoying one here is her." Remus whispered, just loud enough that only the five of them heard.

Potions was, again, with the Slytherins, and the minute they entered the room they knew it wasn't going to end well. Snape glared at James and Sirius all the way through Slughorn's instructions, and the moment he turned his back to the class the war begun. "Ow!" Ava jumped, turning to see James holding his arm.

"What happened?" She asked. James' brow furrowed.

"That slimy git just shot a stinging hex at me!" He grumbled. Ava's eyes widened as he reached into his robes.

"You're sure it was him?" She asked, panicked slightly. He nodded.

"I saw him cast it. Densaugeo!" James whispered, and Snape's teeth immediately began to increase in size. Now, many of the other students had seen their small duel, but nobody was giving them away to Slughorn any time soon. The old goat was still sat at his desk, which was turned away from the class.

"Furnunculus!" Snape mumbled, and James' face suddenly erupted in large boils.

"Herbifors!" Flowers began to sprout from Snape's head.

"Flipendo!" James was pushed backwards, knocking into the cupboard behind him. As he fell, he yelled out;

"Bombardia!" It hit Snape's cauldron just as he landed. The racket was so loud the whole class at to cover their ears. Slughorn leaped up in surprise.

"Finite Incantatum!" The professor yelled. Immediately both boys were back to normal. The room however, was still a mess. The cupboard behind James had broken down the middle, and Snape's cauldron had been completely obliterated, the amber forgetfulness potion spilling onto the floor, "I am very ashamed with both of you!" Slughorn sighed, "I suggest that you both get to Dumbledore. Now."

"You think that attacking one another in class is an appropriate way to behave?!" James and Snape were inside McGonagall's office, as ordered by Dumbledore. Ava, Peter, Remus and Sirius were waiting for James outside, and Lily was awaiting Snape.

A muffled, "No, Miss." Could be heard from inside the room.

"What do you think's happening in there?" Peter asked, biting his lip.

"Sounds like McGonagall's giving them a right old go. She sounds a bit like my mother, minus the evil." Sirius smirked. Ava rolled her eyes, before turning to Lily.

"I'm sorry about all of this, Lily… I really hope we aren't going to have any hard feelings…"

"Of course we won't, silly! It was Potter who duelled with Sev, not you."

"Yeah, I guess." _Snape who started it,_ She thought, but she decided that it was best not to say anything. Remus sighed. The boy had paled drastically in the last few hours, Ava noticed.

"Hey, Remus, you okay?" She smiled. He seemed to wake from a daydream, but he smiled back and nodded.

"You sure, mate? You've gone all pale." Sirius said. Remus didn't get a chance to answer for the door burst open, scaring them all half to death.

"Perhaps, when eavesdropping, you should attempt to be a bit quieter!" McGonagall snapped, "Now get to class before I give the lot of you detentions!" The five of them nodded solemnly, before scurrying off to charms.

Sirius groaned as Lily once again perfected the levitation charm. "Bloody show off." He muttered. Ava smirked.

"She is rather talented."

"Talented? For a Muggleborn she's more than that." Remus said.

"What, you got a crush on her or something?" Sirius snapped. Remus rolled his eyes as Ava laughed.

"I wish everyone would stop rolling their eyes!" Alice said, suddenly appearing upside-down in front of them.

"What the-" Sirius yelped, almost falling from his chair. The three of them turned to see Alice kneeling on the desk behind them.

"Miss Towwe, please take your seat. I don't tolerate kneeling on desks in my classroom." Alice blushed and did as Professor Flitwick said, still higher than Ava, Remus and Sirius. Why the classroom had been organized in the fashion of bleachers was a mystery, but it had, with a podium in between the two sets for Professor Flitwick to stand on.

"He's only jealous because I was taller than him!" Alice mumbled, causing the three in front of her to laugh.

"Alice," Marlene smirked from beside her, "You are literally the exact same size as him." That comment caught her off guard.

"Not when I'm standing I'm not!" She defended, "Besides, only short people are allowed to comment on another person's shortness!" The four of them fell about in laughter at her outburst, along with the rest of the class who had doubtlessly heard.

The following breakfast brought the morning post, and with it a letter from Ava's parents. "I'll read it later." Ava shrugged, putting it into her robe pocket.

"I'm so bloody excited!" James grinned, "We weren't allowed to bring our own broomsticks this year, so I presume we can't join the team either. Not that it matters anyway, I asked the Captain of the team and he said that they won't be looking for a new member until next year. Chaser. I'm going to go for it!" Sirius clapped him on the back;

"I have faith in you, mate! And the minute the position of Beater opens up, I'll join you!" The pair grinned at eachother.

Madame Hooch lead the first years onto the Grounds, not too far from the Greenhouses. She'd wanted to get out there as quickly as possible, as she had the Slytherins and Ravenclaws next and wanted as much time for all the students as possible.

"Line up, all of you!" The woman ordered, "Hufflepuffs on one side, Gryffindors on the other. One broomstick each!" The students did as they were told, "Please step to the left side of your broomstick. Come, now, don't be don't be shy. Hold your right hand above your broom and yell, 'up'!" There was then a chorus of 'up's. James' shot straight to his hand, a few more getting it on their second or third try.

Hooch smiled as all of her students held their broomsticks in the hand. It had taken a while for some, like Evans and Pettigrew, but they'd got there. "Now, please mount your broomsticks and hold on tight. The last thing we need is someone falling off. When I blow the whistle, gently kick off the ground. I only want you to hover for a few minutes, the land. Not a hard task, I'm sure you'll all do just fine." She nodded and, after a minute, blew the silver whistle around her neck/

James was up straight away, his smirk oozing confidence. Sirius high-fived his friend from where he was hovering beside him. "You two are so good!" Ava smiled, finally getting into the hair.

"Mr. Pettigrew, everything is fine! You are barely four feet off the ground, there isn't a need to panic." A few of the students stifled a laugh.

"Oi! How about we stick you lot in a room with your fears?" James hollered. Hooch rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, bet you won't be laughing then!" Sirius yelled. _These two were going to be a handful._ By now, Peter had, much to his relief, got back on the ground, and he smiled gratefully to the two boys.

By the end of the lesson, only James, Sirius, Ava and a Hufflepuff girl named Carp had reached the point of sloth rolls. "I can't believe you three progressed so much in a single lesson!" Remus exclaimed as they made their way back into the castle an hour later.

"What are you on about?" James laughed, "I could do loops by my ninth birthday!"

Peter sighed, "I still can't believe I chickened out." He murmured, scolding himself. Alice smiled, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't sweat it, Lily and I did too!"

"Yeah," Sirius agreed, "Flying isn't for everyone. That Smith guy did as well."

"Jeremy. I heard Professor Sprout say his name during roll-call." Alice provided.

"I'm sure you'll do better next time, Pete." Ava said quietly as the other began talking, "I believe in you."

 **A/N – Okie dokie, that is it for the edited chapters! It's been quite slow paced so far, but I'll try to pick up the pace a little more. Hope you enjoyed, I'll try to get a new one up as soon as I can!**


	4. Chapter 4 - Tickle the Pear

**A/N though it doesn't seem long because I re-uploaded them, it's been ages since I wrote a chapter for this story and I kind of miss it. So voila! I don't know if I like this chapter, because not only is it short, but I feel like it's a little bit meh. I also hate the title, but I'm bad so whatever. Please leave a review, because it helps my motivation :) enjoy!**

 _ **Marauders Era – First Year**_

 _ **Tickle the Pear**_

"We need to put that cloak of yours to good use," Sirius said, nodding to James. He had been hoping to go since James had revealed the cloak to him, but Remus had been ill over the past weekend so they had decided to wait.

"Well, it's Friday, so I don't see why not. We don't have class tomorrow." Ava shrugged. Immediately both James and Sirius' eyes lit up.

"Are you up to it, Remus?" James asked, practically bouncing over to him. The boy nodded with a small smile.

"Are you sure we should go?" Peter asked nervously, "I don't want to lose any more points. Everyone's already mad with us…"

"Who cares about them, Pete?" Sirius grinned, "I'm starved! We need to find the kitchens or I swear I'll die of hunger."

"I wonder if there are any secret passages in this place. I mean there has to be, surely, it's huge!" Remus wondered aloud, a hand on his chin. Everyone seemed thoroughly excited.

"What time is it?" Ava asked, looking at the boys.

"Half eight." James said.

"We'll go at nine, then. Do you think we'll all fit?"

"Probably not, but we'll be careful."

At nine o'clock, the five of them made their way down to the common room, Peter hidden under the cloak. They bumped into Lily, Alice and Marlene at the bottom of the stairs. "We were just about to head upstairs," Lily said with a smile, "You coming?"

"Nah," Ava shrugged, "We're going to stay down here for a bit. Maybe you'll still be awake when I come up though?" The red head nodded her reply, and she and Alice hurried up the staircase. They called for Marlene, who had gone into a dream land staring at Sirius, a moment later.

"That was weird." James muttered.

"Not really, James." Remus chuckled, "It's probably because you don't like her."

"You're right. I don't"

"You four!" They all jumped, turning to the older student who was striding towards them. "I'm Watson Spinnet. Sixth year prefect. Where do you think you're going?"

"For a stroll. Don't worry, dear, we'll be back by bedtime." Sirius said hurriedly, opening the portrait door and pulling the others out of it. He slammed it shut behind them.

"Did you really just say that?" Ava laughed. She and the other three were practically dying. Sirius shrugged.

"What can I say? I'm a charmer." He winked, before pulling the cloak over his head. He instantly disappeared.

"This is so cramped." James muttered a few minutes later, as they shuffled down a corridor. To be honest, Ava had no clue where the heck they were, but she was smart enough to realise that it was now after hours.

"Stop." Remus whispered. They did. "There's something round here?!"

"A teacher?" Peter asked worriedly.

"No, I don't think that's it. I can smell… food."

"Food? I can't smell it" James said. Remus sighed.

"Just trust me." He stepped away from the rest of them, the cloak falling from his body. The corridor seemed empty, with nothing but a portrait of some fruit on the wall. Ava followed, then the others. They looked around, then at Remus.

"I'm certain that the kitchens are around here somewhere. They have to be." He nodded, before moving to inspect the painting.

"Here, guys help me look. There has to be something." They all shrugged, following his lead and testing the portrait for secrets. Suddenly Ava felt something jab her in the ribs,

"Sirius watch it!" She snapped.

"That wasn't me!" She stepped back and gasped. A small handle had appeared on the left of the painting, where she'd been stood a moment before. James grinned, rubbing his hands together and collecting his cloak from where they had abandoned it.

"Fantastic! Well done, Remus!" He patted the boys' shoulder, before placing his hand on the handle. He turned it down, before pulling it.

"Woah." Sirius watched in awe as the painting swung open. Inside, several house elves were hurrying around, cooking.

"We found them! This is our first discovery!" James laughed, bouncing around like an exciting child.

"Hello, Misters and Miss." One of the House elves said as they climbed inside. Remus shut the portrait, and several more house elves made their way over.

"I'm James. This is Sirius, Peter, Ava and Remus." James said, pointing to each of the people in turn.

"I am Linc. What can our services be today?" The all looked at eachother, three having never met a house elf before, and one hating the one he had known. James continued to lead.

"Some cake would be great thanks. And maybe some tea?" The elf nodded, hurrying off. Two more came to them.

"I am Goona"

"And I am Rilly."

"We're to make you a table, misters and miss." They watched as the two of them levitated a table and five chairs to them. Placing them down, the five students sat.

"Your cake will be here soon." Rilly nodded.

As promised, a few minutes later they were presented with a two-tiered sponge cake. Sirius and Peter stared at it, droll practically falling from their mouths. Ava had to agree it looked delicious.

"Thank you, Linc," James grinned, "It looks amazing."

"No, Thanks you Mister James. We rarely make cakes as this one. It was a good change."

"Don't worry," Sirius announced, not hesitating to slice into the dessert and take a slice, "We will definitely be back."

"Does anyone know how to get back? Or even to the common room?" Peter asked quietly. Everyone stopped eating as realisation hit them. They had found the kitchens, but were now lost.

"Great." Ava sighed, tossing her fork onto the plate.

They left the kitchen a while later, hiding themselves under the cloak. "So, any clue where we need to go?" James whispered. Sirius sighed.

"I guess just head back this way? I'm sure we'll find it eventually." He replied.

"Well once we're at the stairs I can tell you. But right now… All these corridors look identical-" Ava muttered.

"This way, I think?" Remus whispered, pointing slightly. They started to move, trying their best to not stumble over each other.

"What is wrong with this bloody school? We've been walking for hours!" Sirius complained, as they shuffled down yet another corridor, "I'm really tired now."

"Perhaps making your way to Gryffindor Tower would be useful?" They all jumped, Remus and James uncovering themselves. Dumbledore stood, his hands held in front of him.

"S-Sir!" Peter stuttered.

"We were trying to find it." Sirius said quickly. "We left the Tower before night, I swear."

"I don't doubt you did, Mr Black." The man smiled.

"We got a little lost…" Ava said. Dumbledore chuckled, but to all of their surprise.

"Perhaps we should start handing maps to first years, yes?" He wandered towards them, before nodding further down the corridor.

"If you take the next left, and then the second right, you should get back to the staircases. I trust you can make it from there?" They all nodded, "Now, I'm afraid that I must take some points and give you all a detention with Hagrid tomorrow evening."

"We already have a detention tomorrow, Professor." James said awkwardly, "With some Mr Filch?"

"Ah, yes. McGonagall mentioned. Well, I suppose it shall have to wait until Monday. Good evening, don't wander." He turned, heading back the way he had come.

"I'd actually forgotten about that detention. Seems like it was ages ago." Remus muttered, as they all got back under the cloak

"It was. I only got the owl yesterday, forgot to tell you all." James shrugged, "Sorry."

The Marauders left the Great Hall after lunch the following day. "You five!" They all looked to where a grisly voice had emerged. A man stood, his greasy hair hanging limp at his shoulders. A small cat sat at his side, it's red eyes glaring at them.

"We have a detention, I believe?" He sent them a disgusting toothy grin, before hobbling towards the library. They followed, nervous.

" _That's_ Filch?" Ava whispered to Sirius, "He's terrifying!"

"It's fine, we'll handle him." The boy grinned, nudging her.

They made their way into a large room surrounded by glass cases. Within these cases, awards, medals and trophies sat.

"Today, you five will be cleaning this shelf of trophies. It shouldn't take you too long, I suspect." He grumbled, pointing to one of the shelves, and then to a bucket and several sponges.

"Right." James nodded, rolling up his sleeves before grabbing one of the yellow sponges.

"No magic!" Filch snapped, and Ava turned to see that Sirius was in the process of pulling out his wand, "You will do it by hand."

"What kind of slick pleasure did that guy get from watching us?" James sighed an hour later, once they had completed their detention, "He was grinning like a maniac the whole time!"

"And when I flicked that bit of water at you! Merlin, I've never heard anyone yell as much as him, bar my mother." Sirius frowned. Ava smiled.

"How about we try not to get any more detentions. I don't ever want to meet him again."

"Awe, but where's the fun in that?" James laughed. Sirius nodded in agreement.

"When are we going to go exploring again?"

"Tonight. We need to find out how we got into the kitchens." Sirius smirked. Remus rolled his eyes,

"Last time, we were caught by Dumbledore. And we have another detention tomorrow."

"Yeah but this time we won't get caught. I remember the way, it really wasn't that far." James shrugged, pushing his glasses further up his nose.

"You know, I think Dumbledore was right. We do need a map." Ava said, tucking a lock of golden hair behind her ear. A smile spread across Sirius and James' face.

"We should make one!" Sirius said, excited. James nodded enthusiastically.

"It would make everything so much easier! Never getting lost, and if we find any secret passages we can put them off too!" He grinned.

"What did you start, Ava?" Remus sighed. She shrugged,

"I think it's a good idea."

As Sirius said, they made their way from Gryffindor Tower once again, slightly earlier this time. "At least if we get caught it won't be soo bad." Remus had said. They arrived at the fruit painting in no time, James being true to his word and remembering the way.

"So let's think about this," Sirius said thoughtfully, "I was around here, and Ava you were here. You said that I'd elbowed you, right?"

"Right." She nodded.

"So, boys," He turned to the others, "try and have a look around it, and we'll see if anything happens.

Half an hour later, Sirius and Ava were starting to get bored of watching James, Peter and Remus inspected the painting. Ava was just about to suggest giving up when they heard a loud click. "I've got it!" Remus grinned. He stood back, as did the others.

"Look, see here. If you tickle the pear," He did so, and the handle was absorbed by the picture, "It opens." He did it once more, the handle emerging from the paintwork.

"That's insane." Ava smirked, "But at least we've found it."

"We can make a note on the map!" Sirius said. James agreed, and Remus sighed.

"If we even make a map. I honestly don't think it's a good idea." He frowned.

"Lighten up, Remus," James said, "It's all in good fun. Now, we better get back to the tower. I can't believe we managed this before curfew. It's great" He chuckled, taking the cloak from Sirius' hands and throwing it over Peter. Slowly, so that Peter could shuffle and keep up with them, they started going back to Gryffindor Tower.

"I'm going to head back up to the dorm. I haven't written to my family since about a week ago."

"A week?" Sirius made a face, "It's not that long."

"Not for you, perhaps. I write to my parents every two days. But then, my mother worries…" Remus turned away, before following James and Peter up to the dorm.

"Have fun, then." Sirius smiled, following the boys. Ava did as she said, making her way to the dorm and grabbing her quill and a piece of parchment.

"Hey, have you sent a later to your parents?" Ava nearly jumped out of her skin, turning to Alice.

"Sorry. I came in just as you were sending him off. I enjoy watching owls fly." The girl grinned. Ava shook her head,

"I mean this in the best way, Alice, but you are possibly one of the weirdest people I've ever met."

"Thank you! My father always says that being weird makes you interesting, so I take it as a compliment. For what it's worth, I think you're quite weird too."

"Thanks?" Ava smiled, before looking to where Lily had just entered the room.

"Hey, girls," She said, smiling and dropping her bag on the bed.

"Hi, Lily. How was your evening?" Alice asked.

"Fine. Yours?"

"Great!"

"Ava?"

"Fine." She shrugged. She wanted to tell them about finding the kitchens, but decided the others probably wouldn't be happy with her, "It was pretty standard." She stood, making her way to get ready for bed as the other two talked.


	5. Final Author's Note

Hey guys.

I was reading through all of my multi-chapter stories, because it's been so long since I've written for any of them that I literally don't even remember what I've said… And I just feel like I don't want to continue them. Any of them, to be honest. I was going to simply delete all of stories (I've already taken down most of my one-shots and my not very popular Avengers story) But I know that I hate when stories stop for no reason, and I don't want to leave anyone hanging.

Therefore, this is my official announcement that this story, and all my others on this site, are being henceforth discontinued.

I still love Harry Potter with all my heart, and I do want to continue writing fanfictions. But I just don't like my writing in any of these stories, and I don't see point in going back and changing everything I've said. To be fair, a large reason that I'm stopping is that I've started reading on Ao3 a LOT more than I do on here. I've also gotten into other fandoms such as Percy Jackson and Voltron, and hope to write more for those as well as Harry Potter (Although at the moment I'm not particularily pleased with anything I'm writing, so it might still be a long time before I post anything o there too)

When I started writing, it was basically the only thing I did, my only hobby. I stopped doing my homework in favour of writing and to be honest I think that may be part of the reason I've stopped for this long. I'm going into my final year of Secondary School, so I seriously need to focus on my studies, but I also have more hobbies such as cosplay, prop making, and I've rediscovered my love for reading again. I never used to watch TV too much, but I'm discovering more shows and fandoms every day that I'm loving and enjoying just as I did with Harry Potter, so I want to explore writing fanfics in those fandoms too. Plus, I spend a lot more of my time talking to my friends and girlfriend, and although my mental health is so, so much better than it was, my hearts just not in these stories any more. The plots and the characters, yes, but not how they are right now.

So… yeah. No more using . If anyone's interested, my Archive account is Raven_Woods_2003, so almost the same as it is on here. If I do decide to re-try these plots, or if I think of anything new to write about, they will be over there. I am no longer using this website. Sorry if that disappoints anyone.

To hopefully many great stories in the future, thank you for the support you gave me for all of my stories. The amazing reviews that I were given honestly meant so much to me, and will continue to mean a lot when I write things in the future.

Thank you.

Raven x


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